Boy Like You
by flyingsaucerscout
Summary: "She gets this dreamy look on her face, suddenly snaps out of it, looks straight at you and blushes hard." - Antonio is aware of Lovina's crush, and breaks down her barriers until she has nothing left to hide. Spainxfem!Romano, may up rating later.
1. Beginnings

**Hi. c:**

**If you don't know me, I'm Maddie, wannabe semi-famous fanfiction writer with a tendency to put out a shit ton of author's notes. Don't mind them if you don't care… they're mostly excuses.**

**If you're reading my PruCan, don't worry about that, it's still going. Just… slowly.**

**Title is from a Ke$ha song, but this isn't a songfic. I just give song titles to my art/fics when I can't think of anything better.**

**So yeah, this is basically a highschool AU, Lovina (I'm uncreative with names, lol, and 'Chiara' doesn't seem to fit for me) is a student in an introductory Spanish course, and Antonio uses his free period to help out in the class with struggling students, since he's a native Spanish-speaker.**

**Rated because of language, sexual themes, underage drinking/parties later.**

**Oh, also! I don't speak Spanish or Italian (aside from what I pick up on this site), so if you see anything in **_[this format]_**, they're speaking in another language.**

**Good God, I haven't written anything heterosexual in so long. But love is love, so it shouldn't make that much of a difference. Storytime~!**

Spanish. Everything horrible, annoying and stupid in her life stemmed from that God-awful class. It was supposed to be easy, by its similarity to her native tongue, but, in truth, it only sounded like a garbled mess of Italian, and she hardly bothered to make sense of it.

There was one redeeming quality, however. She wouldn't admit how much she looked forward to- no, desperately needed- his presence. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo- the teacher's helper, always in a nauseatingly sunny mood, but there was something about the assistant that drew Lovina's eyes to him. Well, that something was rather obvious- he was eye candy, no doubt about it. A glowing tan, vibrant green eyes, dark curls of hair and a perfect athletic build… he was fawned over by so many people, so Lovina made a point to violently reject him.

Of course, this only made him intrigued by her.

xxxx

"_[Lovina, do you need any help?]_" Antonio was back at her side for the third time in five minutes.

"Tch! I've told you already, I'm fine!" Lovina shifted to cover up her answers to the worksheet with her forearms- she was fairly sure that she'd gotten a lot wrong, but she didn't want to show him.

"You're hiding something," he observed, walking around to the front of Lovina's desk and bending his knees so that he was at eye level with her- not that she'd make contact with him, very pointedly looking away from the green trap she knew she'd get caught in.

"No I'm not," she insisted, breaking away from her averted glance to glare at his forehead- it was a neutral enough feature that she couldn't get distracted, and she'd heard in a study that staring at another person's forehead makes the object feel retarded.

"Then let me see your paper," Antonio seized the opportunity to catch her amber eyes, which frustratedly tried to pull away from his.

"Fine. You win this one," Lovina grumbled, sliding the paper to Antonio. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms while Antonio scanned the worksheet, making his corrections with a red pen. She winced, seeing the number of marks.

Seeing this, Antonio looked up with assurance. "Don't worry- these are common mistakes for a beginner." Lovina's expression immediately turned sour at the words 'beginner' and 'common'. "Ah! Lo siento, I meant, um… it's easy to make these mistakes, even if you're fluent!" he apologized with a nervous laugh.

"That's better." She took back her paper and looked it over, but she couldn't focus with Antonio watching her. Lovina looked up, as if to ask what he was still doing there.

"I'm sorry, you're just so lovely. I can't take my eyes off of you." With that, Antonio reached out to touch her face, running a finger from her ear, down along her jawline to catch a loose strand of hair and tuck it behind her ear. It was the first time he'd touched her, and Lovina's brain was screaming to slap his hand away- but she didn't. She just sat there stiffly with burning cheeks, unable to make any of her muscles operate.

Finally, she managed to make her mouth work just enough to barely audibly stammer, "D-don't do that."

Antonio tilted his head to the side. "You'll have to speak up, Lovina, I couldn't hear you."

"Nevermind, just buzz off already," Lovina huffed, shaking her bangs into her eyes so that Antonio couldn't see the odd mix of emotions mingling in them. She usually had a more colorful choice in language, but his presence was throwing her off.

With that, the bell rang. "Let me say I'm sorry. Can I walk you to your next class?" Antonio pleaded.

"No," Lovina answered simply.

"Then I'll follow you… please?"

Antonio's powers of persuasion were impossible to resist, and Lovina gave in. "Fine. But you can't say a word or touch me."

"OK, but one question… what word can't I say?" Antonio furrowed his brow, confused.

Lovina smacked her forehead. "It means you can't say anything, you dork. Now come on and hurry, it's a long walk to the art wing, and I need to stop at my locker." She figured it was useless to argue with him- after all, she really didn't want to be late to her next class.

Antonio nodded vigorously, picking up his books and following Lovina out of the classroom. He stood as close as he could to her without touching her. When they reached her locker- which wasn't very far away- she hurriedly put out her combination after making sure that Antonio wasn't looking, and opened it up. Inside, it was littered with pictures of her family- Felicia her younger sister, Gianluca her kid brother, and her grandfather lovingly addressed as 'Nonno'. Antonio studied the photos adoringly, trying to suppress a squeal. As soon as her books were exchanged, Lovina slammed the locker closed. "Stop staring."

He held his hands up in defense, continuing along with her to her class. People gave them odd looks- mostly ones that read 'What are you doing with _her_?' to Antonio.

"Well. I'm here. You can go now." Lovina looked at her feet as she shooed him off.

Antonio gave a dejected look, understanding. He suddenly brightened with an idea. He kissed his palm, blowing the gesture to Lovina.

She swatted it out of the air.

**Really short introduction chapter, I know, I just want to see if I'm getting interest before I overwork myself. Next chapter I'll introduce Lovina's family and her dynamics at home (in addition to more Antonio-Lovina interaction, of course.) I have a pretty clear idea of where I want this fic to go, but suggestions are always really helpful! Side pairings, anything you want to see… just drop a comment!**


	2. Closer

**Yay, I'm glad people are following my story! I'm putting updates out quickly because I have a lot of plot ideas, but don't expect a regular schedule… I write when I have time, and it's pretty sporadic when I have it.**

**Also, lol. I told my mom about the plot (a shortened, more innocent version anyway) and she got super pissed that the Vargas family doesn't have a mom. I considered throwing in Mama Greece to make her happy but she doesn't have a character, and I'd have to put Heracles in there, too… I didn't feel like it. I could do a divorce thing if anybody likes that.**

**OH and Gianluca (Luca for short) is Seborga. I heard somebody use that name for him before, and I like it.**

**Storytime!**

Since the middle school and high school were fairly close together, at the end of the day, Lovina would walk there to wait for her sister to be let out. They'd then go out to a local café for sweets and do their homework for an hour, then head over to the elementary school for their brother. They'd walk home, the sisters would make dinner, and by then, their grandfather would be home. Though well past the retirement age, he still worked to keep up with expenses in case their earnings ever fell short. The afternoon was supposed to go as tradition- but of course, Antonio was there to ruin it all.

Looking behind her, Lovina recognized his car. After all, who else would get a custom license plate that read 'T0M4T0'? She sped up her step, turned her face from the road, attempted to flatten her distinctive curl… but it was no use.

"Lovina, mi amigo!" Antonio rolled down his window. "Do you need a ride?"

"I'm not fucking getting in your shitmobile," Lovina growled, shifting her backpack's weight.

"Your books look heavy… surely you don't _want_ to walk?" His face was full of sympathy. She really did seem like she had a heavy pack, and walking any distance with it would be a hassle.

"Of course I don't. But I do it every day. Trust me when I say that I'm _fine_," she hissed.

"Please? Just this once? Just to wherever you're going?" His powers of persuasion were back again, and Lovina found herself throwing her arms in the air in exasperation and walking around the car to sit herself in the passenger's seat. This was the first time he gave her a ride.

"Fine. But it's not because I like you. It's because I'm tired as fuck and I have blisters on my feet," she insisted.

Antonio gave a small, chiming laugh, clearly not believing what she'd said. "I'm very sorry for that, Lovina. Where are you headed?"

"The middle school. We're picking up my sister," she answered, deliberately staring at the road to avoid eye contact with Antonio.

"The one in the pictures…" Antonio recalled absently. "She looks so much like you."

"Shut the hell up, I don't like being compared to her," Lovina crossed her arms tightly.

Antonio remained silent for a minute. After a while, he finally spoke again. "I don't know your sister, but I do know you. You're an individual, Lovina, and that puts you above everyone else," he said quietly with a seriousness that Lovina had never heard before.

"Um… thanks…" Lovina turned her burning face away, hiding behind her curtain of curls. Nobody was ever this kind to her… he had to want something from her, but what? He could get any girl in the school… he had to have an intention of building up her hopes only to push her down. She mentally slapped herself for being so stupid as to fall for the Spaniard. It was all some sick joke…

But Antonio would never do that. He wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact, he would always catch flies in the classroom and release them out the window with a cheerful, "Adios, Mr. Fly!"

She slumped over, caught between conflicting feelings.

"Lovina! Are you OK?" Antonio suddenly asked.

"Just tired…" It wasn't entirely a lie. "Keep driving."

xxxxxx

When they reached the school, Felicia was milling around, terribly confused. Lovina, of course, wasn't in her usual spot.

"Oi! Felicia!" Lovina called from the car, too lazy to get out.

"Ve, sorella, hi!" She bounded up to the car without question, leaning in the window to give her sister a kiss on each cheek before hopping in the car. Noticing Antonio, she realized she'd neglected to give him a greeting, and leaned forward.

"No." Lovina stuck out her arm to block her.

"I was just going to give him a hug…" Felicia frowned. "Oh, by the way, who is he? And where are we going? Are we getting Luca?" she launched a stream of questions.

"I'm Antonio," the Spaniard answered. "I help teach your sister's Spanish class. As for the other questions, you'll have to ask her."

"We're going to the café, _like we do every day_, and _then_ we'll get Gianluca, _like we do every day_," Lovina said pointedly.

"Is Antonio coming with us?" she asked.

Lovina opened her mouth to answer something along the lines of 'absolutely not', but Antonio was quicker. "I'd love to treat you two to some sweets. How about it?"

Felicia clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay! Thank you!" Lovina tried to hold back a lurch at the idea of Antonio weaseling his way into their daily routine.

"Lovina?" Antonio asked to make sure it was all right with her.

"Fine. But only for sorella," she gave a 'humph'.

xxxxx

_"Ve, this was very nice, Tonio! You should come with us again sometime!"_

Felicia's voice rang in Lovina's head. As soon as Antonio dropped the three siblings off at their house (she realized, unsettlingly, that this meant he knew where they lived now) and had driven out of sight, Lovina gripped her sister by the shoulders.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded. "That's our routine, every day we go to the café- we as in _you_ and _me_, not Antonio!"

"Ah! Sorella! I was trying to help you!" Felicia choked out.

"What the _fuck_ did you think you were going to help me do?" Lovina pressed.

"I- I thought you liked him! You'd never make a move on your own!" she sobbed, shoulders shaking.

Lovina gave an exasperated sigh, letting Felicia go. She was far too sensitive for her own good. "He's just some annoying jerk, ok? I don't know what he wants out of me."

"He wants your boobies," Gianluca teased, placing his hands over his chest, pretending to juggle around invisible breasts.

The thin line of a blush spread across Lovina's face. "Shut the hell up, Luca, you don't know anything! Just because you just found out a word is dirty doesn't mean you need to use it all the fucking time!" Hypocritical? Perhaps, but she hated the way that her cussing deterred everyone, and didn't want her brother to turn out the same.

"Heyyy, don't fight!" Felicia stepped between them. She put a hand on a shoulder of each sibling, gently pushing them apart. "We need to make dinner. Nonno probably had a long day."

Lovina sighed, stepping back. "Fine, what are we making?" She entered the entrance code for the garage- which was empty, as they only had one car- and led the way into the house.

"Let's make the seafood pasta… that always makes Nonno happy," Felicia suggested. It was a little more of a complicated dish, and it took a while to make. Clearly, Felicia had a lot she wanted to talk about.

"Not something simpler? I… still have some work to do," Lovina lied, knowing exactly what was on Felicia's mind, and she most certainly wasn't going to talk about _him_.

"No! I want the seafood pasta!" Gianluca cut in- mostly to oppose his eldest sister.

"Maybe I'm too tired to make it, you little sh-" Lovina cut herself off after a meaningful look from Felicia. "I hate you two so much." She glared into the refrigerator, taking out the shrimp.

When the food came out, Gianluca took it as his cue to leave, and ran upstairs with his backpack to go do his homework (or text girls, whichever). Felicia listened for his footsteps to fade out and his bedroom door to close, before finally bringing up the dreaded topic. "Antonio seems nice. Why don't you like him?"

"Because he's stupid, annoying and pushy," Lovina immediately answered, digging around in the kitchen cabinets for a cutting board and knife.

Felicia was at her side, bent over at the same cabinet. "I don't believe you. Your cheeks were red the entire time he was with us!"

"It was? SHIT!" Lovina covered her face in her hands as the blush came back.

Felicia only giggled, pulling out the biggest pot and filling it with water. "If you're trying to leave a good impression on him, maybe you should flirt back a little."

She sighed, giving in to her sister. "You know me, Fel, I don't do that. Besides, he has a thousand other girls after him, all prettier and smarter and nicer…" Suddenly, she was caught in a binding hug. "Ah! Felicia! Get the hell off of me!"

After a few smacks on the head, Felicia finally let go. "You're always comparing yourself, sorella… if you let go of that, you'll be happier. Besides, if there's one thing the other girls will never match, it's your fire." Felicia gave a small smile, showing that she'd been subject to this fire for a long time (and just had been).

Lovina rolled her eyes. She was about to say something about how she was sure Antonio would _love_ being the object of her rage, but stopped herself, settling on a simple, "Thanks," instead.

**Hrm. This came out a lot more pointless than I'd hoped. ;A;**

**Usually my chapters will be about this long, just for reference. Next one, I plan to give a little insight into Antonio's side of the story, among the other tricks I keep up my sleeve~ eue**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


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